Changing Scene

On October 18th. 2018, the "stop" button was pressed for the last time, the final competitors put down their tools, wound up their fish tapes, and congratulated each other on another great event.

Then the waiting began.

Canada"s electricians and apprentices have endured four and a half long months of waiting. Waiting to experience the thrill that comes with successfully executing a "double­ strip-double-bend-combo" ...Waiting to enjoy the feeling of satisfaction on realizing that they have beat their own personal-best time... Waiting for another opportunity to show off their electrical skills competitively...

Thankfully. the wait is over.

THE IDEAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IS BACK...

And bigger than ever!

IDEAL Canada is excited to announce that the 2019 IDEAL National Championship qualifying round starts NOW and will run through October 4th. For Canada"s second year of 'The Nationals'. IDEAL is cranking it up with more qualifiers, more events, and more prizes!

Last year IDEAL sent nine electricians and apprentices from two Canadian regions to participate in the Championship Weekend in Orlando. There, they were treated like rock stars while competing for the chance to win incredible cash prizes. In 2019 there will be even more opportunities to qualify - Canada will be divided into four official regions. and IDEAL will be sending 18 challengers to Orlando.

For anyone who doesn't already know, The Nationals are an electrifying series of qualifying round matches that take place at distributor branches, schools, tradeshows, contractor locations and union halls across Canada. Competitors (electricians, electrical apprentices and students) are tasked with a seemingly simple wiring challenge, utilizing IDEAL tools and supplies that they complete while racing against the clock. The competition culminates in the Championship Weekend where the winners from each region face off against their peers from across North America in a series of progressively more difficult electrical skills challenges. Ultimately. the most skilled electrician is crowned National Champion, a title that comes with accolades - and a payday of $75.000 USD.

Here's a look at some of the changes and additions that the 2019 competition brings:

NEW CANADIAN REGIONS

In 2019, Canada will be home to four regions, with a total of 10 regional qualifying spots up for grabs. These spots will be awarded to the individuals (in each region) with the fastest recorded times in their category - "Professional" or "Student/Apprentice". Contenders can compete at as many events as they like, in an effort to put forth faster times.

Region D

There will also be four Canadian wildcard qualifying spots available in 2019. These will be awarded to two Pros and two Students/Apprentices who have the fastest recorded times, outside of the Regional winners.

TEAM COMPETITION

To make the team competition more accessible to electricians working for smaller companies, teams will now be made up of only two individuals (rather than three). Contractor Teams will be comprised of two professional electricians who work for the same contractor, and Student Teams will be two students or apprentices from the same school.

At the end of the qualifying round, the fastest overall Contractor Team and School Team in Canada (from all regions combined) will advance to Orlando.

IDEAL has also increased the prize allotments at the Championship Weekend to "sweeten the pot" for winning team's contractors and schools.

QUALIFYING ROUND PRIZES

At every event. IDEAL will award a prize pack to the Professional and Student/Apprentice who completes the challenge board in the fastest time. Their scores will also be recorded and uploaded to The Nationals database for the chance to qualify for the Championship Weekend.

Additionally. each week. IDEAL will hold a random draw to win the "tool of the week". Every time a person checks-in to one of the qualifying round events. they will be automatically entered into the draw- regardless of whether or not they won their event.

Student/Apprentice Individual:

Contractor Team

Contractor of Winning Team: $20.000 USD in IDEALcash PLUS a marketing consultancy package (valued at up to $50.000 USD)

Student Team

Winning Team: $20.000 USD

School of Winning Team: $10.000 USD in IDEALcash PLUS five (5) one-year scholarships to the Team's school

The 2019 IDEAL National Championship is on now! If you'd like to get involved as a competitor, visit IDEALNationals.com to register and find events in your area.

If you are a distributor. educator. or contractor interested in learning more. or want to host an IDEAL National Championship qualifying event at your location. contact IDEAL's National Championship Coordinator. Monique Hinds at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 1-800-824-3325.

On a regular basis, our publications profile members of our industry through their responses to a Q&A. It’s a way of recognizing industry movers and shakers, and helping our readers get to know them better.

Recently we launched an initiative with Electro-Federation Canada's Young Professionals Network to include profiles of up-and-coming leaders. We provided the list of questions below to Taylor Gerrie, Automation Account Specialist at Gerrie Electric Wholesale Ltd. in Burlington, Ontario. Here are Taylor’s responses.

First and foremost, sitting down with Susan Uthayakumar feels more like sitting down and conversing with a friend than conducting an interview with the Canadian president of one of the world’s largest electrical manufacturers. Of course, she exudes the confidence and knowledge her position demands, but equally identifiable are an open and engaging nature.

In a recent sit-down, we learned a little about Susan’s history and what drives her to succeed.

To begin, Susan was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada at a young age. She went to high school in Canada and attended the University of Waterloo where she earned undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Upon completing university Susan began her working career with Deloitte, which she describes as a great starting point as she was surrounded by highly driven and intelligent individuals. She welcomed being in a position that was demanding and helped nurture a strong work ethic. Her work with Deloitte also instilled a great interest in acquisitions, which would serve her well as her career unfolded.

We often learn how to look forward by first looking back, or at the very least we realize that despite our best efforts we have not truly advanced quite so much as we had thought. Sure, technology is rapidly advancing. That’s beyond question. But what about our approach to selling it? Have we changed that much in the last 20, 40, 60 years? Inevitably there have been advances and changes in marketing, the Internet causing the biggest shift, but many of the concerns and directives that have driven the distribution and marketing of industrial electrical products remain, or at least planted the roots of the concerns of manufacturers and distributors today.

To gain perspective of the perceptions and directions of electrical product distribution in 1960, we turn to Edwin H. Lewis. In 1960 Lewis published “The Distribution of Industrial Electrical Products” in the Journal of Marketing.

To fully define electrical product distribution in 1960, Lewis broke his study into several categories. We will follow his direction and provide his insights on the industry in each of the categories he identified.

Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our Privacy Policy (effective 1.1.2016)
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Kerrwil